Year: 2024

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MotoGP: Jorge Martin is the 2024 World Champion

It may have been the most boring race of the season, but #TheRematch has delivered an emotional, stressful and ultimately hugely enjoyable final weekend of the 2024 MotoGP season.

For the first time in MotoGP’s history, a satellite rider has won the championship. Jorge Martin only needed a 9th place finish today to seal the title but he took a comfortable podium to round out his season in style.

He started 4th on the grid, kept his nose clean at the start and spent the rest of the race in 3rd. Whilst there were battles further behind him, Martin had a lonely race and only needed to keep the bike upright to take the championship. He crossed the line in tears and quickly retreated to the celebration area where he appeared in his new Martinator leathers.

It was a difficult day for peerless Pecco Bagnaia. There was nothing more the Italian could have done this weekend – he took pole and a sprint win on Saturday before leading every single lap of the feature race today. Ultimately, it was mistakes earlier in the season that left him stuck with 2nd in the championship.

Despite the close title race, it was Marc Marquez who was Bagnaia’s closest rival today. He has had a very difficult weekend and has himself said that he was struggling with the track surface and challenges that the Barcelona circuit throws up. But he was able to stay close on the tail of his future team mate, and was typically within 1 second of Bagnaia for the entire race today.

Image Credit: MotoGP on X

Behind the podium finishers, there was a hot battle for “best of the race” in today’s race. Firstly, we had Alex Marquez and Aleix Espargaro battling hard for 4th place. It was Marquez who came out on top, rounding out a fantastic weekend of blistering form for him.

Just behind them was another battle between Brad Binder, Franco Morbidelli and Pedro Acosta. As Acosta dropped back towards the end of the race, Marco Bezzecchi was also drawn into the battle. After plenty of dicing and lots of on-track fun, this group finished the day with Binder in 6th, Enea Bastianini in 7th and Morbidelli in 8th. Bezzecchi and Acosta then rounded out the top 10, in 9th and 10th respectively.

It was a tricky day for Bastianini – he started the day in battle with Aleix Espargaro for 4th, but drifted back as the race progressed.
Espargaro is an incredibly close friend of Jorge Martin and he spent his last MotoGP race clearly acting as his ally out on track today. Firstly, he was fending off Bastianini and then Alex Marquez.

Our only non-finishing rider today was Joan Mir who ended the day in the same way he has most races this weekend – in the gravel. He will be eager to put 2024 behind him and start fresh when testing kicks off later this week.

TOP TEN
Image Credit: MotoGP on X
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Image Credit: MotoGP on X
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025

Believe it or not, the paddock is already making plans for the 2025 season – we will give Jorge Martin some time to celebrate his title but testing begins bright and early on Tuesday morning.

This will be our first time to see riders on their new machines. Martin will take his #1 plate to Aprilia, Marc Marquez will be on the factory Ducati and our new rookies, Ai Ogura, Fermin Aldeguer and Somkiat Chantra, will also be on their new premier class machines.

Crew On Two will have all the updates for you so stay tuned.

See you in 2025!

Feature Image Credit: MotoGP on X

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MotoGP: Bagnaia Wins Barcelona Sprint – #TheRematch Goes To Sunday! 

Pecco Bagnaia has mastered the tricky conditions in Barcelona today, taking a brilliant sprint race win to keep his championship hopes alive. He was joined on the podium by his teammate, Enea Bastianini, and championship leader, Jorge Martin. 

MotoGP has called this weekend the “rematch” weekend and it’s certainly shaping up to a dramatic end to a dramatic season. Coming into this weekend, Jorge Martin was leading the championship by 24 points – comfortable, but by no means done and dusted for the Spaniard. That meant that Martin just needed to win today’s sprint race in order to seal the title. 

However, it was his closest rival who took the victory today. Pecco Bagnaia took a dominant and convincing win, with no one able to come close to him at all in the race. He was totally at one with his machine all day today, taking pole position and then leading for most of the race. 

Image Credit: MotoGP on X

His Ducati teammate, Enea Bastianini, came home in 2nd. He had an amazing start, leaping from 8th to 1st in just one corner. He then had an 8-lap long battle with Martin for 2nd place, before drifting back in the pack during the middle of the race. In typical Bastianini fashion, he came back strong in the latter stages of the race and enjoyed another nail-biting battle with Martin before finally taking 2nd. The Ducati team were elated with a 1-2 finish today. 

Martin has been struggling all weekend, complaining about rear grip and a lack of confidence in the front of the bike. He was therefore thrilled to take 3rd place, despite not being able to win the title today.

Aleix Espargaro, on his final weekend as a MotoGP rider, finished in 4th. He enjoyed a brilliant qualifying session earlier today, stating that this track is his “favourite”, which saw him start on the front row of the grid. 

Alex Marquez finished in 5th – a brilliant result for him after a weekend of equally brilliant form. The top ten was then rounded out by Franco Morbidelli, Marc Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Brad Binder and Fabio Quartararo in 6th to 10th respectively. 

There was just one retirement in the race today – our only rookie, Pedro Acosta, made contact with Marc Marquez on lap 1 which saw the front fairing of his GASGAS Tech3 bike ripped off. He sadly wasn’t able to continue on his “naked” bike and soon retired to the pits. 

Top 10
Image Credit: MotoGP on X
Championship Standings
Image Credit: MotoGP on X

 

Feature Image Credit: Pecco Bagnaia on X

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David Alonso Claims Stunning 6th Consecutive Victory at Sepang

It seems now that writing ‘David Alonso wins…’ is getting slightly repetitive, but that is the reality of what this phenomenal young talent is accomplishing. Alonso claimed his 13th win of the season and 6th consecutive victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix, mirroring some of the great feats achieved by Marc Marquez. Though this triumph would call for huge celebrations, the podium was a solemn one, dedicated to Valencia following the recent floods.

The CFMoto Gaviota Aspar team, based in Valencia, celebrated their new world champion as he triumphed at Sepang, donating his win bonus to the team’s GoFundMe to aid the region impacted by the disaster.

On race day, Alonso started third on the grid at the Sepang circuit. He dropped back to eleventh on lap three after avoiding Daniel Holgado, who fell off his bike, but quickly set to work moving up the field, where he soon found himself back in the leading group.

While in third, Alonso closed the gap to front-runners Joel Kelso and Taiyo Furusato, claiming second with seven laps remaining. Once in the lead, Alonso proved unstoppable, even recovering from a wide run that saw him clip the kerb.

In a standout performance, Honda Team Asia’s Taiyo Furusato, who started 17th, surged through the field, reaching the top ten within a lap. From there, the Japanese rider pressed on, eventually leading the race but narrowly missed the win by just 0.088 seconds.

Ortola, who had a strong start, ultimately finished fourth for MT Helmets.

Jose Antonio Rueda, who started tenth on the grid, also delivered a strong performance. He charged up to third on the penultimate lap, overtaking Ivan Ortola at the start of the final lap to claim the final podium spot for Red Bull KTM Ajo.

 

Featured image courtesy of Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool

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ABB FIA Formula E Season 11: Everything You Need to Know Before Season 11 Pre Season Testing Begins

Formula E returns next week for Pre Season Testing in Valencia so here is everything you need to know before the first session of Season 11 begins! 

Gen 3 Evo Specifications

The ABB FIA Formula E Gen3-Evo car is an evolution from the Gen-3 car, first being raced in Season 9. Many major evolution changes have taken place, presumably to be taken up for Gen-4 as well.

    • All Wheel Drive (AWD): One major change is the use of all wheel drive for these electric cars. This will be useable in qualifying, the duels and the race for active attack mode. This will supply more active overtakes and some tactical strategy. 
    • Faster acceleration: The Gen-3 Evo is estimated to be the fastest FIA single seater car in terms of acceleration, going from 0-60 in 1.82 seconds, 30% faster than the current Formula 1 car.
    • More Grip: The new specified Hancook tyres will supply the drivers will more grip and made from more recycled parts. This will increase to 10% compared to the 9% from Gen-3.
    • New body: The Gen-3 Evo will have a sleeker body in comparison to the Gen-3 car.

 

Visual Car Changes

As shown on the images above, the Gen3 Evo (left) has seen the majority of its bodywork similar to Gen3 (right). The most obvious changes are:

  • More bodywork on the front wing to stop the endplates detaching. 
  • Gen3 Evo has more of a sleek and smooth design in comparison to Gen3 to improve aerodynamics.
  • The mirrors are bigger to allow more of a viewpoint for the drivers.

Season 11 Calendar

The calendar for ABB FIA Formula E Season 11 has some quite big changes, some classics remain, others are gone, venues have been changed and others have been added. Lets have a look!

 

Round Number E-Prix Date Previous Race Winner
Round 0 Pre Season testing at Valencia 4th-7th November N/A
Round 1 Sao Paulo E-Prix 6th December 2024 Sam Bird
Round 2 Mexico City E-Prix 11th January 2025 Pascal Wehrlein
Round 3 Jeddah E-Prix 14th February 2025 N/A
Round 4 Jeddah E-Prix 15th February 2025 N/A
Round 5 Miami E-Prix 12th April 2025 N/A
Round 6 Monaco E-Prix 3rd May 2025 Mitch Evans
Round 7 Monaco E-Prix 4th May 2025 Mitch Evans
Round 8 Tokyo E-Prix 17th May 2025 Maximilian Guenther
Round 9 Tokyo E-Prix 18th May 2025 Maximilian Guenther
Round 10 Shanghai E-Prix 31st May 2025 Mitch Evans
Round 11 Shanghai E-Prix 1st June 2025 Mitch Evans
Round 12 Jakarta E-Prix 21st June 2025 Maximilian Guenther
Round 13 Berlin E-Prix 12th July 2025 Antonio Felix Da Costa
Round 14 Berlin E-Prix 13th July 2025 Antonio Felix Da Costa
Round 15 London E-Prix 26th July 2025 Oliver Rowland
Round 16 London E-Prix 27th July 2025 Oliver Rowland

Overall, the calendar is generally similar to Season 10, however there are some pretty major changes:

  • The first round will happen last THIS year, in comparison to starting in Mexico City in January in previous years. 
  • There are a few more double headers, including the iconic Monaco E-Prix. 
  • Diriyah has been removed with the Jeddah Cornic circuit replacing the street track. It is understood that it will be a shorter version for Formula E in comparison to the layout Formula 1 and Formula 2 races at.
  • There is a “TBC” slot for round 5, rumoured to be related to an E-Prix in Thailand.
  • We are NOT returning to Portland, a first for this era for gen-3 and instead we head to Miami. 
  • The Berlin E-Prix double header has been moved to July but there will still be a clash with the World Endurance Championship. 

Driver Lineup for Season 11

Formula E is no stranger to crazy driver silly seasons, as Season 10 saw champions returning, drivers retained and other drivers let go. However, with Season 11, there are some changes which I did not expect to see. Lets see who is remaining, shall we?

Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team: Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix Da Costa.

This one is a half-surprise, half-not a surprise. Throughout the start of Season 10, Season 7 champion Da Costa really struggled to be up to pace with teammate eventual champion Wehrlein. However, he pulled off what can only be described as a comeback of the greats as he managed 4 wins over 3 races in the latter half of the season. This managed to save his seat at the German team despite rumours of a certain Abt Cupra driver being poised to hop in. That plan has, for now, been placed on the backburner. 

Season 10 champion Pascal Wehrlein staying at Porsche is no surprise, however, due to his sheer determination to snatch the title from the 2 Kiwi’s of Cassidy and Evans going into the double header in London. The pairing is a strong one in which Porsche will hope to repeat their success from last year.

Jaguar TCS Racing: Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans

This is not a big shock as both Cassidy and Evans were on par for the vast majority of the season. Luck had its advantages and disadvantages for both drivers throughout the entire season as well as some driver errors, most noteably the error Cassidy made on the penultimate lap in Portland which cost him the championship and Evans wasn’t able to capitalise as much as he potentially should have when Cassidy failed to reach the top step or even the podium. Still, Jaguar are using a tried and tested method of stability within their team which will hopefully pay dividends.

Envision Racing: Sebastian Buemi and Robin Frijns.

This driver lineup is…a bit of a shock. Buemi and Frijns both had decent seasons with podiums for both drivers but due to the clashes with the World Endurance Championship (WEC), changes were expected from the Jaguar customer team. Nevertheless, a strong lineup with a lot of experience but with many younger drivers joining this grid and others in seperate series’ like Paul Aron who raced for Envision last year in Berlin in Formula 2 and even Victor Martins, this duo could be under pressure to deliver.

Mahindra Racing: Nyck De Vries and Edoardo Mortara.

This duo was not too much of a surprise either. De Vries struggled after his stint in Formula One with Alpha Tauri which wasn’t exactly what everyone wanted to see. Nyck did the one thing he could do: get back up! He got a deal to return to Formula E with Mahindra and he found his grove at the end of the season, with a sensational P4 finish in Shanghai! Him and Mortara could be the future of Mahindra. both have the experience to do well.

DS Penske: Jean-Eric Vergne and Maximilian Guenther: 

While one stays at DS-Penske, one shall leave. The one replacing the Season 8 champion is the driver who did an insane job in the CUSTOMER team of Maserati MSG Racing: Maximilian Guenther! Yes, Guenther gets the promotion to the Stallantes main team for the GEN3-Evo debut! Vergne will remain at the gold and black coloured schemed American manufacturer team but he will be hoping new boy Guenther doesn’t overthrow him.

Neom McLaren Formula E Team: Sam Bird and Taylor Barnard. 

McLaren will enter Season 11 as a race winner and from the minute the lights go out in Sao Paulo, the pressure will be on for Sam Bird to replicate his win in the Brazilian capital. Beside him will be a Briton, but it won’t be Jake Hughes. Instead will be Sam Bird’s replacement when he had to miss Monaco and Berlin last year: Taylor Barnard. After a debut season in Formula 2 with a debut win at Monaco in the sprint race, McLaren saw enough in the 19 year old to send him up and allow Jake Hughes to set sail. 

Maserati MSG Racing: Jake Hughes and Stoffel Vandoorne:

 The Monaco based team will have an entirely new lineup in Jake Hughes and Stoffel Vandoorne. It looked like both drivers wanted a fresh chapter and a new challenge with them leaving their former teams, both are proven winners and it will be interesting to see if they can finally gift Maserati some success.

Andretti Formula E: Jake Dennis and Nico Mueller:

When 1 stays, 1 goes. After 1 season at Andretti, Norman Nato departs for another team (more on that soon) but in his place is the underdog of Season 10; Nico Mueller. Nico comprehensively beat his experienced teammate of Lucas Di Grassi at Abt Cupra and earned a promotion up to the customer team of Porsche. As the former world champion of Jake Dennis remains at Andretti, Season 11 could be a big test for both drivers.

Nissan Formula E Team: Norman Nato and Oliver Rowland: 

As previously revealed, Norman Nato moved to another team, well that team is the same team that let him go after Season 9. Nato returns and replaces Sacha Fenestraz after the Argentinian driver underdelivered in his 2nd season in Formula E in comparison to his teammate who won many races and podiums. Oliver and Norman will both be wanting to make a mark on each other in Gen3 EVO. 

Lola Yamaha Abt: Lucas Di Grassi and Zane Maloney:

While not unexpected, Di Grassi remains at Abt to help them transition into Lola Yamaha Abt. Besides Di Grassi is a driver who set the 2024 season of Formula 2 alight at the beginning of the new regulations: Zane Maloney. The Boy from Barbados joins the team as a rookie after doing sessions with Andretti. This will be an important season for both Lola and Maloney as they both embark on a new motorsport journey.

Kiro Race Co: TBC and TBC

Don’t worry, TBC aren’t the 2 new driver names but ERT has transitioned into Kiro Race Co. after new investors were brought in. In another massive bombshell, the team is no longer and manufacturer as they now run older Porsche powertrains which have been modified for Gen 3 Evo. Both drivers have not been confirmed yet but rumours suggest Dan Ticktum will remain at the team while the pre season testing at Valencia will be seen as an audition for David Beckmann.  

Season 11 Liveries

As with a new season, cars have been launched! While not every team has announced their Season 11 liveries, here are some which have been announced! Jaguar’s Livery is for pre season testing only.

Nissan Formula E Livery Season 11. Image credit: Nissan Newsroom
Mahindra Racing’s Season 11 Car: M11 Electro. Image Credit: Mahindra Racing’s X account
DS Penske’s new Season 11 livery. Image Credit: Formula E News Article announcing this livery.
Display of the Porsche 99X Electric. Image Credit: Porsche Press Release
Andretti Formula E Season 11 Livery. Image Credit: Andretti’s Press Release
Jaguar TCS Racing’s pre season testing livery. Image Credit: Jaguar TCS Racing’s X account.
Kiro Race Co Season 11 Livery. Image Credit: Formula E’s Gallery Article
 
 
 

Women’s Pre Season Test Details

Announced a few weeks ago, Formula E will be running a fully woman’s test in Valencia. This is a big step forward for equality in the sport as well as gathering more feedback. The test will take place on November 7th in Valencia.

Driver lineups: 

Andretti Formula E: Chloe Chambers and Nerea Marti

Both of these drivers are currently in F1 Academy, with Marti in her second and final year and Chambers confirmed to be continuing in 2025 as well as joining the Red Bull family after being supported by Haas in her rookie season. Both have scored one win with Marti in Le Castelle in 2023 and Chambers in Barcelona. 

Neom McLaren Formula E Team: Bianca Bustamante and Ella Lloyd 

Bustamante is supported by McLaren in her second and final year of the F1 Academy series with multiple podiums and race wins behind her name. Ella Lloyd, however, was a wild card at a previous event and managed to impress a lot of people. She impressed McLaren with her talent so much that she joined their academy and will take over the keys when Bustamante leaves F1 Academy after this year to continue on the papaya colours. 

Envision Racing: Alisha Palmowski and Alice Powell

Palmowski has won many events in the past including being vice champion in GB4 in 2024 with 3 wins and 11 podiums. She has also made it through to the final 10 of the Autosport Young Driver Award. Powell has participated in W-Series prior to its administration in 2022. She won races in the series against a few drivers on this list and is now coaching F1 Academy standings leader Abbi Pulling. 

Maserati MSG Racing: Tatiana Calderon and Carrier Schreiner: 

The 2 ladies participating under the Monegasque team have a lot of experience. Calderon has participated in Formula 2, Super Formula, World Endurance Championship in LMP2 class and Indycar. Schreiner is currently racing in F1 Academy with Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber supporting her. 

Tag Heur Porsche Formula E Team: Marta Garcia and Gabriela Jilkova. 

Garcia is the reigning F1 Academy champion after competing in the series’ debut season with Prema Racing. She has raced in FRECA this season. Jilkova is a simulator and development driver for the German team with 43 laps being completed last year. 

Nissan Formula E Team: Abbi Pulling and Sophia Floesch: 

Pulling currently leads the F1 Academy standings as they enter the final 2 rounds at Qatar and Abu Dhabi in November and December. She is racing under the Alpine colours. Floesch is also in the Alpine family with her finishing another Formula 3 season. 

DS Penske: Jess Edgar and Beitski Visser

Edgar made her single seater debut in 2022 with GB4, picking up 1 podium in round 2. She made the jump to F1 Academy last year with her picking up 1 victory last year at Circuit Of The Americas. She is currently racing in F1 Academy again for her final year. Visser has competed in Formula 4, Formula 3.5 and W Series with many points being picked up. 

Lola Yamaha Abt: Miki Koyama

Koyama became the first female to win in a FIA Championship in Formula Regional Japanese Championship in 2022. She is also currently a Toyota Gazoo Racing development driver with competing in W-Series from 2019 to 2021. Lola Yamaha Abt have not yet announced a second female driver for this session.

Jaguar, Mahindra and Kiro Race Co have not announced either drivers yet. 

 

Costcap Breaches

Recently, it was announced that 2 teams broke the cost cap for the first year of Gen3: Jaguar and Nissan. Both teams were fined €100,000 and €300,000 respectfully. As a result of this, both teams will miss the first half day of testing. 

These have been described as a “Minor Breach” according to Formula E and the FIA with the breaches being in the region of “procedural and minor overspending”. 

Both teams have issued statements. 

Nissan describing the outcome and the result  as “…exclusively related to the process of interpretation and adaptation of the new financial regulations at a time when the team was also facing specific challenges…”

Jaguar said that “we believe that had we filed correctly we would have been fully compliant with the teams’ cost cap and the minor overspend breach would not have occurred”. 

Both statements are from the Formula E article announcing these breaches. 

Make sure to follow us on X here in order to stay up to date with all Formula E news! Let’s make this new season a good one! 

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Moto2: Your Moto2 World Champion! Ai Ogura!

Image Credit: @MthelmetsMSi on X

After not finishing lower than 4th place in the last 5 races, Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) was not letting anyone else take the title away from him this season!

Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) did all he could and took a great win today but was unable to stop Ogura from taking the Moto2 crown! In a frantic battle stopped by the rain, Canet finished on the top step to Ogura in 2nd and Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team) in 3rd.

AS IT HAPPENED

It was a great start from pole position for Ogura who lead the field through turn 1. The lead though was cut short as Canet late on the brakes, went up the inside of Ogura into turn 2. Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) dove far too deep up the inside of Canet at turn 4, and opened the door for Ogura to retake the lead of the race.

Turn 5 and Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) from nowhere wiped out Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), both riders ok as the crazy first lap continued. Into the last corner and Ogura went from 2nd to 7th as Ramirez went by into turn 12 as Moreira and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) both barged their way by Ogura.

Moto2 looked like a Moto3 race as everyone across the field diced and fought for positions. Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) went from 16th to 6th place after the 1st lap. Binder would later crash out of the race on lap 8 after such an heroic start.

Third race distance completed and Ogura barged Binder wide with 16 laps to go. Canet still lead at the front from Ramirez in 2nd with a 1 second gap to Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) in 3rd. Moreira and Dixon swapped places as Ogura patiently waited to pounce and pounced he did to get by Dixon up into 4th place.

Approaching half race distance, Ogura finally moved back into the podium places going by the Brazilian Moreira up into 3rd. At this point from the back of the grid to 11th, Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) was having a great race. Also, Dixon’s teammate and once Moto3 champion Izan Guevara was up into 5th.

With 10 laps to go, Ogura was world champion if it stayed as it was riding in 3rd place. Setting the fastest lap of the race, it was only a matter of time before Ogura went by and passed Ramirez into 2nd.

 

Into the final 3rd of the race and Canet was holding station at the front as Ogura continued to push to try and take victory in Buriram. Rain drops began to fall as local hero in the tiger livery Somkiat Chantra, was all over the back of Guevara fighting for 5th.

5 laps to go and Canet set his fastest lap of the race with Ramirez closing in on Ogura. Chantra overtook Guevara into the final corner as the crowd roared on the home hero. Chantra now up to 5th place and hunted down Moreira in 4th.

The rain flags waved to the inevitable red flag that followed. The race was stopped to the delight of the MT Helmets – MSI team. Canet was superb throughout the race but unable to stop Ogura’s surge to the title this season.

Ai Ogura, the first ever Asia Talent Cup rider world champion and a huge inspiration to all those young riders coming through in the Asia Talent Cup.

On a personal note, I was at Valencia in ’22 when it went down to the wire between Ogura and Augusto Fernandez a couple of seasons ago. Ogura crashed out in front of me on that Sunday and I watched his dreams shatter on that day.

To see Ogura come back in the fashion he has after the injuries he’s suffered is superb! I was buzzing to see him win this season in Barcelona and also in Misano. I wish Ai Ogura every success next season as he moves up to MotoGP.

Race Classification

Image Credit: MotoGP
Image Credit: MotoGP

Championship Standings

Image Credit: MotoGP
Image Credit: MotoGP

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Moto3 Thai GP: David Alonso Makes History with 12th Win, Surpassing Valentino Rossi’s Record

David Alonso delivered yet another calculated and precise performance to take the top spot for the twelfth time this season, officially breaking Valentino Rossi’s 1997 record of 11 wins in a single season in the same class. Alonso’s remarkable achievement solidifies his dominance in Moto3 with the Aspar team, where the high standards he’s set mean that any race without a victory feels almost disappointing.

Following earlier rain, race officials declared the race as wet and shortened the distance from 19 laps to 12.

The race began in damp conditions, with the Top 5 holding their positions off the start. Early on, light rain brought the threat of a full wet race, but the rain quickly subsided, allowing the riders to push forward under the same damp but stable conditions.

Alonso initially took control on Lap 3 after having started fifth, however he soon had to contend with the Honda Team Asia rider Taiyo Furusato, who took the lead for a few laps before Alonso once again reclaimed his position at the front.

Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI), who started from ninth on the grid carved through the field to reach second place with just two laps remaining, where he appeared ready to challenge Alonso’s lead in the final moments.

In classic Moto 3 fashion, chaos ensued in the final corner of the final lap. Ortola, in a bid to close the gap, nearly collided with Alonso, creating a huge moment which cost Ortola second place and allowed Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Furusato and Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna), to come through.

Ortola ultimately finished 4th.

Sadly for Furusato, in the exit of that final corner, running in third, he collided with Collin Veijer on the exit, who had dived inside to capitalize on a move made by Luca Lunetta (who started tenth and fought his way to the front) on Furusato to take second place. Furusato was thrown off, sliding down the straight beside his bike. Luckily after the race his position was reinstated to 5th place, as both he and his bike crossed the finish line.

Disaster for Leopard Racing as teammates Angel Piqueras and Adrian Fernandez collided on Lap 11, with Piqueras attempting an aggressive pass that ended in both riders being taken out of the race.

In yet another thrilling Moto3 race, David Alonso’s performance shone as he cemented his place in the record books with his twelfth win of the season, surpassing a 26 year-old milestone and setting a new standard for Moto3 excellence.

Featured image courtesy of Intact GP

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Mexico Grand Prix Qualifying – Brilliant Sainz takes a dominant pole position for Ferrari

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will start from pole for tomorrow’s Mexican Grand Prix.

The Spaniard took his first pole position since Singapore last year with an excellent pair of laps in the third qualifying session.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start second ahead of championship rival Lando Norris, with Charles Leclerc a slightly disappointing fourth after a mistake cost him and Ferrari a chance of a front row lockout.

In the last week Ferrari have proven themselves to be spoilers for the two main championship protagonists, with a 1-2 last week headed by Leclerc in Austin  ahead of Verstappen and Norris.

Norris is 57 points behind but couldn’t have picked a better placed to start third from, with a 730 metre run to the first corner sure to offer the chance of a tow away from the grid.

The first qualifying session brought about two huge shocks in a frenetic and fast paced opening 18 minutes.

Home hero Sergio Perez was knocked out and will start 18th in the Red Bull, while Oscar Piastri ended his run of Q3 appearances that stretched back the entirety of 2024 to line up 17th.

That result is likely to damage Perez more than Piastri, whose error strewn session was much more of an anomaly for the man who was quickest in final practice versus the Mexican, who has been struggling all weekend.

They were joined by the less surprising trio of Franco Colapinto in 16th, Esteban Ocon in 19th and Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu in 20th.

The second qualifying session was ended ten seconds early as the RB of Yuki Tsunoda, who was on a lap destined to reach the top ten, crashed out at Turn 12 to leave himself stranded in 11th ahead of teammate Liam Lawson.

The two Aston Martins will share Row 7 with Fernando Alonso, on his 400th Grand Prix weekend, starting 13th and Lance Stroll edging Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas out for 14th.

Ferrari had looked like they were going to battle for the second row heading into Q3 with Norris and Verstappen having been the class of the field, but finally got their act together as Sainz set an early benchmark of 1:16.055.

That lap would have been enough for pole on its own, but he went again to dip below the 1:16s to clock 1:15.946 – a quarter of a second clear of the field.

Leclerc’s wobble in the second sector was compounded by another error at the final corner when the Monegasque was looking at second on the grid, but Ferrari will be satisfied nonetheless.

The Scuderia have designs on the Constructors’ Championship even still, being eight points behind Red Bull and 48 behind leaders McLaren with five races to go.

Elsewhere in the third session, George Russell beat Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton to fifth in the final session, while Haas’ impressive form continued with seventh for Kevin Magnussen and an unfortunate tenth for Nico Hulkenberg.

They sandwiched Pierre Gasly’s resurgent Alpine and Alex Albon’s Williams in eighth and ninth,

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Ferrari dominate the USGP while the championship hots up.

Ferrari dominated the race after an excellent start from Leclerc, which put him in the prime spot to pick up the pieces of the turn 1 battle for the lead. 

After an interesting sprint race, qualifying had a dramatic end. Russell collided with the barrier, preventing Verstappen and most of the runners from completing their final laps. This meant Norris started on pole with a great lap, but Russell started from the pitlane after a full repair, with his teammate only in P17.

The race start. Courtesy of RedBull content pool

Norris is becoming infamous for his starts. Despite making progress in the sprint, he went backwards at turn 1. Verstappen lunged down the inside, but while pushing both of them wide, Leclerc slipped straight through into the lead, with his teammate having to settle for P3. 

There was drama in the middle of the pack with Ocon spinning round, ending up last of the runners, while Lawson was following Hamilton, who made up 5 places in the first few corners. 

The battle at the front carried on as Sainz had speed in the car closing on Verstappen at the end of the main straight, leading to a very entertaining six-corner battle with the RedBull coming out on top. However, just as Sainz was looking for his next move, the safety car came out for a stranded Hamilton at turn 19.

With 4 laps of the safety car complete, at the restart, Leclerc had Verstappen with him all the way and struggled to create a gap. There were no major moves, but Lawson continued to make progress, gaining a place into P12.

The back of the pack provided plenty of overtakes for the first half of the race. They were fighting it out after the safety car, with Stroll taking a short trip into the gravel, Russell gaining places, and Albon very tight on Ocon, but Stroll came back looking to go around the outside of both of them. 

Russell hunting down Bottas. Image courtesy of Stake F1 Team

Lap 13 and Russell makes a move on Bottas into P14 in what appeared to be a good move, but the Mercedes received a 5-second penalty for the move. While Lawson continues to give RedBull something to think about as he was only one place behind Perez who has been in P9 since the restart. 

Having been behind Tsunoda for 10 laps, Perez finally makes it past the RB which now had dead tyres. Hulkenberg also tried to get past the RB with a battle from turn 12 to 16 consisting of very close but great racing. Just as Hulkenberg had to back out and get ready for the next attack, Tsunoda pitted.

As the pitstop window opened on lap 20, Ferrari looked to try an undercut on Verstappen with Sainz in P3. He pitted on lap 22 in an attempt to undercut Verstappen. RedBull decided to leave Verstappen out for 4 laps while Sainz and the McLarens caught the front runners. The undercut was successful for the Ferrari with a 4-second gap while Leclerc reacted to Verstappen’s stop from the lead. He came out behind the two McLarens but crucially in front of his teammate and Verstappen.

Meanwhile, Albon continued to have a great race as he battled Alonso with Gasly was in the best seat in the house to watch just behind them. Alonso held off an initial onslaught from the Williams, who took too much out of his tyres. Gasly was able to make a move but had to take to the outside of turn 12 to complete the pass. This means he received a 5-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

At 31 laps, the US GP became a battle of strategies, with the McLarens yet to pit, Leclerc and Verstappen having pitted only 4 laps before and on a one-stop while Sainz appeared to be on a two-stop. 

After the McLaren stops, Norris was able to work well on the hard tyres. Gaining fastest lap after fastest lap and taking a second out on Verstappen on a few of those. Verstappen was also not happy on the hard tyres and struggled for grip. This hunt was on. 

Colapinto taking on the track. Image courtesy of Pirelli

Magnussen received a very urgent pitstop request from his team, but after a change of tyres came back out. Colopinto, who was having a great race, pitted one lap later and came out just ahead of the Haas. This led to a very exciting battle between two drives who both have nothing to lose. 

While they were getting close, Tsunoda took a quick spin at turn 1. Colopinto locked up but missed the RB and stayed ahead of Magnussen. Tsunoda was able to get going again.

At the front, Norris had closed the gap on Verstappen and was within the DRS zone of the RedBull on lap 44. All eyes were pinned to to these drivers as a podium place and vital championship points were at stake. Norris calculated the move and waited until the right moment on lap 47 after Verstappen locked up.

What ensued was a battle from turn 12 to turn 16 where there was close racing but both were sensible. Verstappen forced Norris around the outside of turn 12 which meant the RedBull could stay ahead through the next set of corners. Undeterred, Norris regrouped and tried again at turn 1 a couple of laps later, but Verstappen was placing his car in all the right places. 

Lap 52 and Norris was much closer on the exit of turn 11 and Verstappen had worse traction. Verstappen forced Norris around the outside and ended up off the track. The stewards immediately began to look at it and the radio messages began between the drivers and the pitwall. On the final lap, Norris received a 5-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. 

Drama between Norris and Verstappen. Image courtesy of RedBull content pool

While that drama unfolded, Leclerc and Ferrari were dominating out front, coming home with a 1-2 and now only 4 points behind RedBull in the constructors for P2. They drove a great race and Leclerc put in a lovely drive to stay ahead. 

Verstappen did finish in P3 with Norris having to settle for P4. With one extra lap, he may have been able to get ahead of the penalty, as he finished 0.9s ahead of the RedBull. However, a shoutout to Colopinto who did get a fastest lap during the race and a point for the team. Lawson also came back in P9 on his first outing back in the RB.

The championship is getting spicy, with RedBull now having to watch for Ferrari in the constructors championship, or they may end up third. Only 6 days until Mexico, can Perez make an impact at his home race?

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Central European Rally 2024, Sunday’s Report

Onto the final day then and with 54km’s over the four stages what would the outcome be at the end of the eighteenth stage? Adrien and Alex returned to the action and would open the road.

First stage then of the day, SS15 Am Hochwald 1 – 12.17 km and we had a change for the lead as Adrien was fastest from Elfyn and Takamoto. There was drama for Seb and even more for his teammate Sami. The Frenchman slid off the road and after a little detour rejoined the road and completed the stage with the seventh fastest time. However, for Sami, there was even more drama, as he slid wide, and the front of the Yaris dug in and made the car roll a few times. He was out for the rest of the day. A big shame after a very accomplished first drive on asphalt in the Yaris Rally1. In terms of the lead change, Ott was now in the lead ahead of Seb by just 1.9 seconds and Elfyn a further 5.3 seconds back.

Onto SS16 Passauer Land 1 – 14.87 km Takamoto was fastest from Seb and Ott in this one. The Frenchman closed the gap a little in this one to Ott with the Estonians lead just 1.5 with two stages left.

Next up was SS17 Am Hochwald 2 – 12.17 km and it was a third different stage winner as Elfyn won this one from Ott and Takamoto. However, there was drama again for Toyota as Seb lost the rear of his Yaris and ended up spinning and then collided head on with a telegraph pole. There was large damage to caused and live images showed Seb out of the car.

The final stage then SS18 Passauer Land 2[Power Stage] – 14.87 km and Takamoto set the benchmark which no-one could beat. The rest of the power stage points went to Andreas, Elfyn, Thierry and Adrien. Ott and Martin took their second win of the year and twenty-first of their career. This also meant that they had outscored their teammates and championship rivals and confirmation that the driver’s world championship will be taken by a Hyundai crew.

Let’s take a look at the final finishing positions and hear from the drivers.

Final Classification – Central European Rally

1 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid 2:37:34.6
2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +7.0
3 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +39.8
4 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +1:21.0
5 G. Munster L. Louka Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +3:41.9
6 N. Gryazin K. Aleksandrov Citroën C3 +9:17.6
7 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Škoda Fabia RS +9:34.1
8 F. Mares R. Bucha Toyota GR Yaris +11:41.5
9 M. Marczyk S. Gospodarczyk Škoda Fabia RS +12:10.6
10 K. Kajetanovicz M. Szczepaniak Škoda Fabia RS +12:20.3

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak

“The rally was really intense – demanding from the get-go, with four drivers so close together and never more than ten seconds apart. The conditions were never easy, and although today was the best weather wise yet it was still challenging and unpredictable. I fought very hard with Seb and really tried to push today to secure the win. There is still hope for our drivers’ championship campaign but the manufacturers’ standings is very close with Toyota, so we have a big fight ahead of us in Japan.”

2024 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 12, Central European Rally
17-20 October 2024
Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
Photographer: Dufour Fabien
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Thierry Neuville

“Overall, it has been a good weekend. Obviously, we came here with the hopes of winning the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles in Germany, and a lot of supporters came down to line the stages to live an incredible moment with us, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Nevertheless, it was a good operation for the team, and we only lost two points to Toyota. Going to Rally Japan with 225 points is a comfortable lead, but we still need a trouble-free rally and a reliable car, especially on Sunday, to get through and hopefully secure the well-deserved titles.”

Andreas Mikkelsen

“Result wise, this is not what we expected from this weekend. We had a crash on Friday, but otherwise there are a lot of positives to take from Central European Rally as well. Our speed overall when we were pushing has been close to the front, and the Power Stage was definitely the highlight. It’s a big step forward since Croatia; our feeling with the car was completely different, I felt at one with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid on tarmac and really enjoyed driving it.”

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“It’s not been a bad weekend for us. Together with Scott we come away as the crew that scored the most points and we have to be somewhat satisfied about that and it’s good for the team. Maybe we were not always setting the stage times alight, but we had some strong moments, and it was quite a consistent weekend. We were missing a little bit here and there but we’re here at the end in second place and we can be reasonably happy with that. In terms of manufacturers’ points we took a little hit today unfortunately, but it wasn’t bad on that side so at least we’re still in the game and it’s all open for Rally Japan.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I want to say a huge thanks to the team for the incredible support they gave me through some difficult moments in the last two months. It’s been a very tough season for myself, so I felt a lot of pressure to do a good job here, but we are able to do it with full points on Super Sunday and the Power Stage as well as fourth overall. I was really enjoying the driving and the feeling in the car, and I’m really happy to finish the rally with this result. Of course, we have still one rally to go at Rally Japan and I will try to do my best there together with the team. We never give up and we keep pushing.”

Sébastien Ogier

“I feel really very sorry for the team for what happened today. In this penultimate stage the first corner going under the trees was much muddier than I anticipated, and I just understeered wide and hit the tree on the outside. The route note, crews did not have the chance to pass through this stage before us so I didn’t have the information in my notes, but this is no excuse because I’m behind the wheel and the other drivers didn’t make the same mistake. Right now, I feel very disappointed, especially for the team because it could have been a strong weekend for us. It’s been three rallies in a row where we clearly have the speed but not the result at the end. Thanks to Elfyn and Taka we still have a chance in the championship at Rally Japan and we will try our best again there.”

Sami Pajari

“In the first stage today, I went a bit wide on one corner and we were maybe a bit unlucky to roll so easily, but it was my mistake. It’s a pity and I’m sorry for the team. I just need to learn from this, understand what happened and be better in the future. Up to then, the rally had been really nice for us, every day was really clean, and there was clear development through the weekend. I got quite a nice feeling with the car and did some decent stage times, and most importantly we learned a lot. These three rallies in the Rally1 car have been really amazing, a dream come true for me, and I’ve enjoyed it a lot. Now I look forward to doing my best at Rally Japan in WRC2.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Grégoire Munster

“A tricky weekend with the weather conditions, and the different types of stages, but all in all we didn’t do too badly. We improved the set-up of the car in different conditions, and we worked a lot towards Japan as well, so it’s all positive things. A top-five result, at the end, which equals our top-five result in Sardinia, makes it quite a positive weekend overall.”

William Creighton

“A tricky rally, so I’m glad we didn’t have any major issues and have gained the experience. It’s been amazing to compete in my first WRC2 season, I have learnt a lot! Thank you to the MI Rally Academy, M-Sport and everyone else for making it possible.”

Jourdan Serderidis

“We went to CER on an impulse. Very limited preparation, no hybrid… we hoped for a cool weekend and a Top 20 finish. Actually, it was not exactly cool, especially in technique, but we enjoyed a lot Saturday and Sunday. And we achieved the target. Fantastic ambiance inside the team. It will be full of good memories…!”

Adrien Fourmaux

“Just a difficult Friday and Saturday with some technical issues, it’s not the result we would expect after winning the rally last year in the RC2 category. The good point is that after we fixed the car on Saturday evening, we clinched the first fastest time of the day and third overall on Super Sunday, with one extra point for the Power Stage. So at least we showed some good pace on the Sunday.”

Summary

Well, we had a very exciting and dramatic rally with a number of different leaders. Thierry led early on before he went off the road on Saturday, then Ott and Seb both had their times as leaders before the Frenchman’s unusual mistake.

The Estonian duo took a well-deserved victory, bringing them back into championship contention. Now the gap is a not insignificant twenty-five points and this would need Thierry and Martijn to suffer quite a bad result at the final round for the 2019 world champions to take their second title.

Elfyn and Scott showed again why they should always be considered as one of the best crews in the championship with a great fight at the front. The Welshman is always really hard on himself and yet does not always give himself credit with how good he is. With the result he took here, he’s taken third in the championship standings again.

Thierry and Martijn could have taken the title this weekend, but a mistake put them out of the lead meaning that the title will be decided in Japan, late November. They still have one hand on the trophy. Let’s see what happens next month.

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 12

1 T. Neuville 225
2 O. Tänak 200
3 E. Evans 185
4 S. Ogier 166
5 A. Fourmaux 146
6 K. Rovanpera 114
7 T. Katsuta 102
8 D. Sordo 44
9 S. Pajari 41
10 G. Munster 37

 

 

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 12

1 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 526
2 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 511
3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 267

 

One final round remains then, Rally Japan from the 21st to the 24th of November.

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Central European Rally 2024, Saturday’s Report.

The second full day of action would see the crews tackle 123km’s over six stages. Thierry held the overnight lead from Seb and Ott and less than eight seconds covered the top three, with Elfyn a further 7.3 seconds back in fourth.

First up was SS9 Granit und Wald 1 – 20.05 km and there was drama for Adrien and Alex as their Puma went off the road but still completed the stage. They had a problem with part of the transmission which had caused their off. At the front, Ott was fastest from Seb and Elfyn. Rally leader Thierry could only manage the fifth best time over 7 seconds slower than his teammate and now his lead was only half a second from Ott.

Onto SS10 Beyond Borders 1 – 24.33 km and Adrien continued to have problems, going off the road again and damaging his Puma. Meanwhile, Elfyn was fastest from Seb and Thierry. This time it was Ott that lost time, only going fifth fastest and with Seb only 1.2 seconds slower than his teammate the Frenchman moved ahead of his former M-Sport teammate and into second overall.

SS11 Schärdinger Innviertel 1 – 17.35 km the final morning stage and after Seb, Elfyn and Ott had completed, Thierry who would be last to complete the stage from the group of Rally1 cars and had a spin in a left hander and did a full 360-degree spin before getting back underway. Further on though, he then went wide on a corner and then got stuck rejoining the road in the drainage ditch. He would lose over 30 seconds and with that fell to fourth overall, behind the new top three. Also, to have problems was Takamoto as he went wide onto the grass and lost around ten seconds whilst rejoining on the slippery grass.

After the service break next up was SS12 Granit und Wald 2 – 20.05 km and Ott was fastest from Seb and Elfyn who set the joint second fastest time. Ott had reduced Seb’s lead to just 1.1 seconds.

The penultimate stage of the day, SS13 Beyond Borders 2 – 24.33 km and Seb was again fastest from Thierry and Ott. Twelve seconds covered the top three, whilst the former leader Thierry was 37.7 seconds behind and 25.7 from the podium.

The final stage then of the day, SS14 Schärdinger Innviertel 2 – 17.35 km and Seb was again fastest from Ott and Elfyn.

Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day Two

1 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid 2:10:12.7
2 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +5.2
3 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +14.0
4 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +39.8
5 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +1:31.8
6 S. Pajari E. Mälkönen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +2:07.3
7 G. Munster L. Louka Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +3:22.7
8 N. Gryazin K. Aleksandrov Citroën C3 +7:39.6
9 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Škoda Fabia RS +8:10.6
10 F. Mares R. Bucha Toyota GR Yaris +9:30.4

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“I’m happy with my day. It’s been a very close fight for the whole day. The conditions were tricky this morning, but we were quite consistent. Ott was really fast on the opening stage on both passes and we had to react to that, especially this afternoon in order to rebuild our lead. We tried to push even more on the last two stages, but five seconds is not that much of an advantage so the same kind of approach will be needed tomorrow. So far, it’s been a good weekend, and the car is working well considering it’s our first asphalt rally for six months. With these positions after Saturday, we’re catching up in the manufacturers’ championship and let’s try to get some more points tomorrow.”

Elfyn Evans

“I think it’s been a solid day for us in more very mixed conditions. The morning especially was pretty difficult with a bit of fog bringing quite a lot of moisture onto the road, and this evolved between our route-note crews going through and us driving the stage. Therefore, we had to use our own judgement and it seems from the times that this wasn’t so bad. In the afternoon it was drier, but the road was quite polluted with mud, and we didn’t seem to cope with that so well. The margins were only small, but we lost a bit of ground there. Still, it’s been a strong day for the team, and we’ll keep fighting for more points tomorrow.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Today my target was again to have a clean day. This morning it went well except for this last stage, which was quite tricky with surface changes and bits of gravel on the road. I realised under braking for this one corner there was not enough grip, so I decided to go straight. It felt like a long time sliding on the grass, but we got back on the road without any issues. This afternoon the conditions were much drier and easier, and we could have a clean loop. Tomorrow I’ll aim for a good run through the first stages and see if I can do anything in the Power Stage, but my main job is to be there for the team.”

Sami Pajari

“It has been quite fun today. The conditions were a bit different from the morning to the afternoon as it was getting drier and more grippy, and that was a different kind of a challenge with new things to learn: when it’s like that you need to try and go for it and that’s quite demanding with a Rally1 car. The pace that the top guys are doing is so high, but it’s quite nice to see that we can be as close as we have been in our first rally on asphalt, and I have many ideas where I can improve. Already the improvement during the rally has been quite good and the confidence is growing nicely. I’m looking forward to doing four more stages with this car tomorrow.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak

“It has been quite an intense day. This morning I had one bad stage where I lost too much time, and the rhythm wasn’t good enough, however this afternoon the car worked really well on the first stage in what was the most difficult, dirty and challenging conditions. The next two were too clean and high grip, and my setup was just not racy enough to get the speed out of the car. We know from last year you want to prepare a forgiving car, and while it’s a bit different on the roads this year, the car is not bad to drive – it’s just missing the top speed in nice conditions. We all need to have a strong day tomorrow to bring home important points for the championship.”

2024 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 12, Central European Rally
17 – 20 October 2024
Ott Tanak
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Thierry Neuville

“I’m obviously very disappointed for what happened today, we paid the price for a mistake during the recce. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is. We didn’t expect to be fighting for the lead this weekend; we came here with the target of finishing the rally, however we were in a situation yesterday where we were in a close battle with all the title contenders as well as for important manufacturers’ points. We had to drive fast, and we did what we could today. Tomorrow, we need to try and take as many extra points as possible, so we go into Japan with a comfortable lead. The stages look quite interesting – hopefully they will be drier and less tricky than today.”

Andreas Mikkelsen

“Today we worked a bit on the setup of the car to prepare for Super Sunday. We had very different conditions on the second loop; it was much drier, which required some changes. Overall, we had a good, clean loop. We stayed away from taking big risks so for sure there is still time to gain, but I don’t feel that I am too far away. We tested some things on the car, some of which worked well, so we are going in the right direction, but we know we have one more gear for tomorrow. I want to contribute to the team’s manufacturers’ fight, so we will wake up with a fresh mind and give it our best.”

Oliver Solberg

“We softened the car for the afternoon,” he said. “That made quite a big difference. It gave me more confidence and grip. I should have taken this set-up this morning, but it’s all about experience. I haven’t competed on Tarmac for nine months, so I was a little bit out of practice!

“The stages have been a lot of fun again today – that last one was super-nice. This morning was quite tricky with conditions changing a lot, it was easy to get caught out. Hopefully it will stay a bit drier through Sunday, but I have a good feeling for the set-up now.

“Let’s see what happens – but again the number of fans and the enthusiasm they are having out there has been really cool.”

Sunday

The final day of the rally will see the crews tackle 54km’s over the final four stages. Will there be another sting in the tail, or can Seb hold on for victory?

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